Where do you buy wall art? I need ideas please!

[PennyLany]

There is nothing I hate more (interior-wise) than ikea like black and white pictures of cities on the wall, no offence if this is you, just not my thing. I have been collecting prints and photos over the years and have a few framed on my wall but I’d like to buy more art for our home. Where can I find some nice and affordable art that is also original and ideally made by a “real” artist (as in, not just a print from a website)?
Budget wise I am happy to spend up to £200. I live in London.
Thank you!

East end prints
Search for things on Etsy

Not on the high street
Next
John Lewis

Those are my mid range sort of go tos.

Then of course you could look up hashtags on Instagram of things like art, art prints, illustrations, etc etc and see what comes up. Dh enjoys collecting original art work and prints from all sorts of places and he’s found some lovely things from totally new artists / people that way.

Local art school. Ours has an annual exhibition, but individual students may also sell items.
I bought a couple a few years ago and one of the artists has had small exhibitions since, so I added another.
Local galleries - must be lots in London- go visit them, see what you like, and ask them about similar works.
If you find an artist you like, look for their website or Facebook page. You may be able to purchase cheaper, without the gallery commission.

I can’t edit my post but I’ve realised after posting that you’ve said not prints etc 😬😁 oops.

If you live in London surely galleries, art school shows, Woolwich contemporary print show etc etc. Look at artists websites. Buy direct if you can.
Or just look on Instagram for suitable hashtags.
If you like lino cut prints my DS will sell you some art work, he's at art school!!!!

Facebook market place/Vinterior… instagram is good for independent artists as is Etsy. I picked up a 1980s original watercolour for an an absolute steal recently.

It helps to have a rough idea what sort of thing you are looking for as there’s literally thousands of options.

Landscapes - I really like Bill Waldron as he usually paints my favourite bits of Cornwall I also like Charles Rodwell for abstract landscapes.

Quirky still life - Badgers Painting on Instagram was recommended by a friend when I wanted something for my kitchen. Londonfineart also keeps popping up on my Insta feed.

Gail Reid is a wonderful portrait artist who can work from favourite photos to create stunning art work.

I would imagine as soon as you start searching the algorithm will quickly show you many more options x

We've bought a few paintings from Sulis Fine Art. They ha e a massive amount of stock but you can search with all sorts of criteria.

Try looking up artists on Instagram or the saatchiart website where you have thousands of artists to choose from.

Your budget is low though for original artwork, so you might have to buy prints or go for independent galleries outside London in places like Margate, Deal or Folkestone. Like these two:

https://www.thelidostores.com/artists
https://www.dontwalkwalkgallery.com

I have got printed art from andyokay.com- amazing quality prints I have used in my study and downstairs toilet. Depends what you are looking for though!

My town has an annual ‘Art Trail’ where local artists display and sell their work in shops and other venues. We have bought most of our pictures from local artists during the trail.

We have a local small Museum that often has art exhibitions and sales. Nowhere near you though sorry.

Online auctions have some great pieces. But if you know the type of thing you like, then google and look up different artists.

I have started painting my own - I am rubbish at painting and did not do art at school after the age of 11, and I am currently only finding photos I like online and then trying to replicate them - but I am really enjoying it!

Artfinder.com is fab and has original art at all price points. I’ve had several pictures from there and have been delighted with them all.

Limited edition prints from most non-commercial galleries. Start here: www.alliededitions.org

art angels do postcards of a wide range of artists, if you browse their website and find an artist you like you could then look for larger prints of theirs

https://www.art-angels.co.uk/

or the Royal Society of printmakers

https://www.re-printmakers.com/artists/

I buy original art from eBay and local artists

Love a flea market

Most of mine have been from craft or country fairs. We also have an arts festival locally where lots of local artists exhibit and sell their work. And small local galleries of course.

I have bought from Etsy in the past, but it's too much like hard work sifting through the mass produced rubbish nowadays. Mind, my favourite was from a chance spot of a post on Facebook.

Our library also has an area where people can display and sell their artwork.

I know what you mean about wanting “ real art” for your home though like you I don’t have a huge budget. Works on paper are a good way to start collecting and I have bought some pieces from artists I follow on Instagram - I’m an artist myself and it can be fun to see behind the scenes - the studio. the creative process . A lot of artists will offer artworks exclusively to their email subscribers Going to open studios events is good too as you can buy direct from artists .

Thanks all for the inspo, I will look at all these options. I never thought about art schools and didn’t even realise you could buy art from them!

Nelly Duff on the Columbia Road

Depending on your style, some lovely galleries in st Ives, beach/wildlife paintings.

I’ve got my eye on this one on Etsy which I’m going to attempt to buy a canvas and recreate my own version. I used to be arty in my 20’s so hoping I will get good satisfaction out of having my own art on my wall x

A gallery near me had an exhibition of paintings by a local art therapy group, they weren’t listed as for sale but I fell in love with one & emailed the organiser. Turned out the artist was happy to sell so we met in a cafe & made the deal once the exhibition was over 😀

Another possibility linked to art schools; students are normally delighted to accept commissions at very reasonable rates if you're looking for a specific thing. Especially if they can then publicise the sale. (My DD's at art school... but this isn't an ad for her.)

We used to go to the flood gallery in Greenwich. They do have a website. I think they are predominantly prints but have some interesting stuff, mostly pop culture.